Every house plan in the Root Down collection carries something most plan companies can't claim: it was designed by someone who genuinely believes buildings can heal.

That person is April Magill, architect, educator, founder, and one of the country's most forward-thinking voices in sustainable design. If you've ever wondered who's behind the plans you're browsing, here's her story.

April inside the Armanca ADU, the Hempstead Living Accessory Dwelling Unit she built in her own backyard in Charleston, SC.

From Charleston Architecture Firms to Starting Her Own

April settled in Charleston, South Carolina in 2004 and spent the next seven years inside some of the city's established architecture firms. She worked across project types: historic renovations, high-end residential, civic and federal buildings, and multi-family housing. She got a well-rounded education in what the industry could do.

But she also saw, just as clearly, what it was getting wrong.

Construction accounts for nearly 30 percent of landfill waste. Most buildings are designed with little regard for what the materials are made of, where they come from, or what they do to the people living inside them. April wasn't willing to keep designing that way.

In 2011, she took a leap of faith and founded Root Down Designs, an architecture firm dedicated to sustainable, high-performance, and healthy building design. Her philosophy from day one: a building should be functional, beautiful, and regenerative. Not just beautiful.

Building Differently: The Materials That Define Her Work

Root Down Designs' portfolio spans custom luxury homes, affordable multi-family housing, breweries, mixed-use commercial spaces, and off-grid eco-resorts. But what sets April's practice apart isn't the range of project types. It's what those buildings are made of.

April has pioneered carbon-negative and alternative housing prototypes using rammed earth, compressed earth blocks, and hemp-based building systems. These aren't novelty materials or architecture experiments. They're ancient construction methods with a proven track record, now being applied with modern precision.

As April puts it: civilizations around the world have used these materials for centuries. Sustainable design isn't a trend. It's a rediscovery of what we already knew worked.

Her most recognized project to date, the Hempcrete Pilot Project in Charleston County, brought 45 community participants into the building process itself. The structure monitors its own temperature, humidity, and air quality over time, is Red List free (meaning it contains no harmful materials commonly found in construction finishes), and recently received recognition for Innovative and Climate-Smart Buildings in Charleston. It's not just a building. It's a living proof of concept.

Teaching, Not Just Building

April has always believed that knowledge about building shouldn't be locked inside firms and universities. Over the past decade, she has been a keynote speaker and presenter to organizations and universities across the country, served on multiple boards and municipal committees in advisory roles, and led over four dozen community-based building workshops and courses across the southeast: hands-on sessions where participants build with natural materials, ask real questions, and leave with real skills.

She has also consistently made space for women in what has historically been a male-dominated field. Women-centered building events, workshops designed to build both skills and confidence, and a long-term commitment to creating more on-ramps for women in architecture and construction are all woven into how Root Down operates.

In 2018, the American College of the Building Arts recognized her passion for sustainable education and brought her in as an Adjunct Professor of Sustainable Materials, a role she continues to hold today.

Why She Created Root Down House Plan Co.

Custom architecture is expensive. For most people, hiring a firm to design a home from scratch is simply not an option. April saw that gap and decided to do something about it.

In 2020, she launched Root Down House Plan Co., a collection of pre-designed house plans rooted in southern design sensibilities, available to homeowners nationwide. Efficient layouts, sustainable thinking, and a real understanding of what makes a home work over the long term are built into every plan. The collection includes ADU options for flexible living and a growing Hempstead Living collection for those ready to build with hemp-based materials.

The goal has always been to bring high-quality, thoughtful design within reach, at a fraction of the cost of a custom project. Every plan reflects April's architectural eye, her commitment to healthy materials, and her deep knowledge of what makes a home truly livable.

What She's Building Next

In 2023, April founded the Root Down Building Collective, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit whose mission is to advance regional, climate-smart, and equitable housing solutions. Within its first year, the organization received its first federal grant to develop healthy, affordable housing in North Charleston.

Looking ahead, April is focused on growing the nonprofit's community empowerment programs, including a Tool Library and dedicated building classes for women and girls. She also currently serves as the southeastern co-lead for the US Hemp Building Association, continuing to push for code recognition and mainstream adoption of hemp-based construction materials.

When asked where she finds the resilience to keep going, her answer says a lot about who she is: from colleagues forging similar paths, from clients who trust her with their dreams, and from workshop participants who leave feeling empowered. The work fuels itself.

Plans Built with Purpose

When you choose a Root Down house plan, you're not just getting square footage and dimensions. You're getting the result of 20 years of April thinking carefully about how buildings should be designed: for the people inside them, for the communities around them, and for the planet they sit on.

That's what makes these plans different. And that's the woman behind them.

Explore the full Root Down House Plan Co. collection at rootdownhouseplan.com

The Woman Behind the Plans: Meet April Magill, Founder of Root Down House Plan Co.